Painting Placerville starts June 2

The Belltower at high noon on June 2 will be the kick-off point for the long-awaited Main Street Matters project. The project, sponsored and initiated by the Benjamin Moore Paint Co., will paint the first floor facades of 26 Main Street businesses on both the north and south sides of Main Street between the Belltower and the Courthouse.

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“The kickoff won’t be very long, but it’s an opportunity for the public to see the first ceremonial brushstroke of the project,” said Lisa Crummet, marketing director for the Placerville Downtown Association. “Our mayor, Carl Hagen, a representative from Benjamin Moore and others will make brief speeches and the area around the Belltower will be closed off.”

Which one of the selected businesses will receive the first paint job is not yet known, said Crummet. “The painting company, JeffCo, wants to make sure whatever building is chosen to be painted first is completely prepared and ready to be painted,” said Crummet, “because right after the ceremony, the painting begins.”

Benjamin Moore has selected JeffCo Construction, a local general contracting company, to manage the painting and repairs for the 26 buildings chosen for the revitalization and is supplying all paint, stain and supplies necessary for the facades and exterior trim.

Alison Sele, project coordinator for Benjamin Moore has been meeting with business and property owners to choose the colors for each building. “Our design team did research into the history of the community, looked at the current colors of the buildings and took into consideration the local environment to design a palette scheme for the project,” said Kelly Sinatra of Benjamin Moore. “We have so many paint colors it can be overwhelming, so we create a palette to keep things in harmony. We offer suggestions to the property owners, but they are free to choose the colors they want to be used.”

Placerville was one of 20 Main Streets throughout the nation to be chosen to receive Benjamin Moore’s gift of paint and revitalization. “The national publicity alone means that we are on the radar of people who have never heard of our fair city before,” stated Placerville City Councilwoman Wendy Thomas in an open letter to Main Street business and property owners. Thomas is the city’s liaison with Benjamin Moore for Main Street Matters. “The Sacramento region is taking notice of us, talking about us and waiting to see the results. Most importantly, the contest has given us a cause to rally around and it has pulled us together.”

Property and business owners have been meeting with Benjamin Moore representatives and the community to discuss painting the rear facades of the buildings backing up to Highway 50 and additional buildings along Main Street, to augment the project. Benjamin Moore is offering discount paint vouchers for those selected businesses wanting to paint beyond their first floor and for the businesses not part of the project that wish to participate in the downtown revitalization. At the April 25 Main Street Matters meeting, two awning companies, Awning Pros and Goodwin-Cole, offered group discounts for new awnings, another augmentation. Awning Pro can also professionally clean existing awnings.

The Sierra Economic Development Corp. is also offering small business loans for painting/revitalizing downtown buildings. A community volunteer force is being organized by project manager, Matt Boyer, for additional improvements.

The painting project will continue from June 2 through three weeks in June, culminating on June 21 with a Main Street Reveal Party that coincides with Third Saturday.